What do you think?

[bmccasland]

I think it is fair to let new memebers on smaller, ie club rides, that one of the riders has vision problems. But accidents happen. Just one of those things.

[smilingcat]

Hi Karen,

I really hate to say this the new person. But, it sounded like she ran into him from the rear. If that is the case, then she has no one to be upset with except herself. R's "disability" had nothing to do with the accident. And I would still call it an accident no more. It's not R's fault. The new girl should have left more of a safety zone. She isn't used to your groups riding dynamics.

Don't use R's disability as an excuse for the accident.

Smilingcat

[Tuckervill]

I think I left out the part where I next said, "STOP!" There was a pause after I yelled car up and before I said it. That sounds convenient at this point, but I really did yell stop, because my husband was just a few lengths behind me and I was thinking of him first. It was his first group ride ever, and I didn't want him to get hurt by running into me or going across the bridge. There was a gap between him and the bigger group, too.

T still doesn't know that R is disabled, as far as I know. She got in the car and left.

I have all the compassion in the world for people who need assistance or accommodation that I don't need. I think telling others that you have a vision impairment on a group ride is a safe and sane thing to do. I have a friend who is deaf in one ear, so she asks people to speak to her on the other side. What's the problem with that?

The other thing is, on a group ride, I will never substitute someone else's judgment of safety for my own. I don't cross streets until I see it's clear, no matter how many other people yell it. All that to say, T should have been paying attention. But shouldn't she be allowed to know all the factors she should be paying attention to?

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. Your input helped me clarify my own.

Karen